(1) Field of the Disclosure
This disclosure relates to shooting ranges of the kind including a projectile trap and a projectile trap for varied uses, including for use in a shooting range.
(2) Description of Prior Art
The design and operation of shooting ranges is a sophisticated engineering matter in which safety is paramount. Thorough discussions of the design and layout of modern shooting ranges may be found in “Design Criteria for Shooting Ranges” by C. Vargas, Third National Shooting Range Symposium (1996); Army Regulation AR 385-63 “Range Safety”; Navy Handbook (MIL-HDBK) 1027/3B, “Range Facilities and Miscellaneous Training Facilities Other Than Buildings” and the National Rifle Association's “NRA Range Source Book.” These references are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
Shooting ranges having projectile traps are known. Heretofore, the traps have included various apparatuses for preventing fragments of lead and other metals from escaping the traps and becoming a hazard to health and the environment. Both liquid and dry systems are popular. Examples of such systems, commonly owned by the applicant, are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,070,763, 5,113,700, 5,121,671 and 5,486,008 issued to Coburn.
One such prior art dry system apparatus produces a negative air pressure within the trap, but this has proven unsatisfactory because the negative air pressure may unnecessarily pull lead from the trap that would otherwise be removed by a collection system at the bottom of the trap. Thus, this kind of system may actually increase, rather than reduce, contamination problems resulting from lead and other metals. Also creating the negative air pressure system is energy consumptive due to the high volume of air flow needed. Thus, this kind of prior art projectile trap leaves much to be desired.